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Dr. Nan Hatch named chair of OPD

Dr. Nan Hatch

Ann Arbor, Mich., June 15, 2016 -- Dr. Nan Hatch has been named chair of the School of Dentistry’s Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, effective July 1, 2016. Dean Laurie McCauley announced the appointment Wednesday after an international search by a committee of faculty and alumni.

Hatch is the Lysle E. Johnston, Jr. Collegiate Professor of Orthodontics. Her research focuses on bone biology and the molecular causes of craniofacial anomalies, as well as the development of biologic mediators of orthodontic tooth movement and retention. She holds a patent related to her study of the cellular mechanisms of craniosynostosis, a birth defect in which one or more joints between the bones of a baby’s skull close prematurely.

McCauley noted what she called Hatch’s “remarkable progression through the ranks of our school.” Hatch came to Michigan in 2005 as a post-doctoral research fellow in tissue engineering and regeneration, joining the faculty as an assistant professor in 2008. She was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2015 when she was named as the inaugural Lysle Johnston professor.

Hatch received her DMD from Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1999. At the University of Washington, she completed her orthodontics certificate in 2002 and her PhD in molecular and cellular biology in 2005.

In addition to directing her world-class research lab, Dr. Hatch continues both clinical and didactic instruction and mentorship of students at all levels, particularly in her role as research director in the Division of Orthodontics. She has mentored numerous orthodontic residents on their research; four have won research awards from the American Association of Orthodontists.

She has served on the executive committee and as president of the International Association for Dental Research’s Craniofacial Biology Group (2009-16), as the Great Lakes representative to the American Association of Orthodontists Council on Scientific Affairs (2009-15), and as a board member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research’s Advances in Mineral Metabolism Meeting (2015-17).

Awards for her research have come from several professional organizations, including the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, and the American and International Associations for Dental Research. Her research has been funded by the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation, The Hartwell Foundation, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

In making the announcement of Hatch’s appointment, McCauley thanked Dr. Jan Hu, the Samuel D. Harris Collegiate Professor of Dentistry, for her leadership of the department during the past year. McCauley said Hu created a strong collaborative environment throughout the department while recruiting new faculty and lecturers, completing accreditation and making significant strides in the Victors for Michigan Campaign. McCauley also thanked the search committee, chaired by Dr. Paul Krebsbach.